Omar Mokhles, a senior Taliban commander newly appointed to a key security post in Kabul, in a farewell speech in Paktia called journalists “traitors” and admitted that Taliban sought to kill them, but they escaped abroad.
Mokhles, formerly the Taliban police chief in Paktia province and now the Taliban police chief for Kabul’s District 3, said during a gathering that Taliban fighters pursued media workers with the intention of killing them.
“We wanted to kill the media workers, but they escaped,” Mokhles said in a video obtained by Amu TV. “They were not journalists; they were traitors. We hunted them, but they survived and quickly reached their masters.”
Mokhles also appeared to dismiss reports that he was unhappy about being removed from his Paktia post. “The media should never be happy,” he said. “Even if I become a soldier, I am proud.”
He went on to accuse journalists of “treason” and said he had once been ordered to kill “polytheists,” before adding: “Now God tells me to obey God, the Prophet, and the leaders.”
The remarks have surfaced after Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed last week that Mokhles had been reassigned from Paktia to Kabul by order of the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. Local sources told Amu TV that his removal had caused tensions between Akhundzada and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who reportedly opposed the decision.
The comments underscore growing fears for press freedom in Afghanistan. Over the past two decades, at least 165 journalists and media workers have been killed in Afghanistan, according to Nai, a media watchdog. Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, dozens of outlets have shut down or scaled back operations, while many journalists — particularly women — face harassment, detention, and restrictions.
Rights groups say Taliban forces have repeatedly detained, beaten, or tortured reporters. Hundreds of Afghan journalists have fled abroad, while many remain stranded in countries such as Iran and Pakistan, waiting on uncertain asylum claims and facing the risk of deportation.
Despite the Taliban’s announcement of a general amnesty after their takeover, rights organizations and the UN have documented hundreds of cases of targeted killings, enforced disappearances, and torture of former government officials and civil society figures, including journalists.
